Production, Properties, And Applications Of Tungsten
A transition metal that is known for its properties and uses is tungsten. The name tungsten is derived from two Nordic words “tung and sten” which means heavy stone. Because of the great production and properties of tungsten, it is famous in several fields. When it combines with others and makes alloy, a strong alloy is produced. For instance, tungsten carbide’s hardness is very high which is used in various manufacturing tools like drills, mold, milling cutter, etc. Moreover, tungsten shielding is used against gamma and x-ray radiations in nuclear, NDT, and medical fields. Here you learn about:
- The production of tungsten
- The properties of tungsten
- Applications of tungsten
Processing and production of tungsten:
Naturally, tungsten occurs in an environment like rocks. Wolframite and scheelite are two major tungsten minerals. Wolframite is a very dense, strong, and high melting point mineral. On the other hand, scheelite occurs as granular masses, its characteristic is highly fluorescent in ultraviolet light. Some of the tungsten ore deposits are close to the surface, so surface mining removes the overlying soil and rock to practice mineral deposits. Moreover, some ore deposits are at the depth below the crust, to extracted ores tunnels are built. These ores of tungsten are cleaned, crushed, and treated with alkali to produce tungsten trioxide.
Properties of tungsten:
Tungsten metal is light-grey or shiny silvery-white colored metal which is one of the toughest metals found in nature. The tungsten density is highest among all of the metals. It has the highest melting and boiling points and the lowest coefficient of thermal expansion among all discovered elements. Either its pure tungsten or tungsten alloy, tungsten properties make it quite useful for many applications
Applications of tungsten:
Tungsten products are classified into four categories depending on the uses: mill products, carbides, alloys, and super-alloys. Tungsten mill products are used for applications of electrical and electronic products. Tungsten carbides are the most common and hardest product compounds. They are used for cutting and wear-resistant materials applications. For high constituents, tungsten alloys are used for high-speed steels, tool and die steels, etc. Super-alloy tungsten is used in high-temperature applications and for electrical contacts.
